The Eldest Daughter Is Beautiful and Saucy
Chapter 311: indulge
Chapter 311: Leniency
“Young lady, young lady…” Madam Tong’s face was not very good. She bowed and said, “The steward Liu who was sent back to Shuoyang to take charge of the renovation of the ancestral house has returned. He is reporting to Madam about the renovation.”
“Is there something wrong?” Bai Qingyan asked after putting down the teacup.
“Those people from the Shuoyang clan are so shameless…” Madam Tong was so angry when she said this, “When Manager Liu returned, he found that the fifth master and his family were all living in the ancestral house. Manager Liu asked around and found out that in previous years, our family would send a letter in advance to move back…they would move out, and as soon as we left, they moved back in! Even so, the clan still has the nerve to say that they took the trouble to take care of the ancestral house for our Bai Mansion, and they ask our madam for benefits!”
“Every time we go back, they send people to clean up. It’s obvious that they are afraid of being exposed, and they have the nerve to take credit for it!”
Nanny Tong had already become extremely disgusted with the clan’s behavior and attitude during the funeral of the Bai family. When she heard that Steward Liu had come back to report on the Shuoyang clan, she was so angry that her heart ached.
Bai Jinxiu’s expression also changed, and she placed the teacup heavily on the black lacquered table beside her: “How shameless!”
“Butler Liu also said that our house had just been renovated, and before Butler Liu left, the Fifth Master and his family moved in again. They said that the Shuoyang ancestral house was passed down from the Bai family’s ancestors, and was passed down to the eldest son and grandson…” Nanny Tong grabbed the handkerchief in her hand, her eyes red, “They said that our Bai family now has no male successor, so the house must naturally belong to the clan. Their family has lived in the house for many years with the permission of the clan leader! If our Bai family women go back, the clan will pity them and build a wall in the middle, giving up a small part of the ancestral house for them to live in. They also said… that the wall should be built high, so as to prevent… to prevent… the evil spirit of our eldest girl from colliding with them.”
Bai Jinxiu was so angry that she slapped the table: “This clan is too much! If they really said that, why would they wait until we have repaired it and then shamelessly come to rob it? Are they really taking advantage of the fact that there is no one in our Bai family?!”
“The Fifth Master and his family, relying on their large numbers in Shuoyang, have already asked craftsmen to build a wall in the middle of the yard. Steward Liu has sent people to stop them and immediately ride back to inform the Madam!” Nanny Tong was so angry that her chest heaved violently.
Bai Qingyan’s eyes darkened, and there seemed to be a fire burning in his heart. The clan… had been taking advantage of the Bai family like a blood-sucking termite for many years!
Now seeing that all the men in the Bai family are gone, she has lost all her dignity and is only thinking about how to get some benefits from the Bai family.
The old saying is still true, a little bit of kindness is repaid with a big bit of resentment. It was the leniency of my grandfather and father that whetted the clan’s appetite.
“Sister, do you want to go over and ask?” Bai Jinzhi asked.
“I’ll change my clothes and go over.”
Nanny Tong probably didn’t hear all the details, so Bai Qingyan had to go and ask Steward Liu in person.
There are also all the house deeds and land deeds of the ancestral home, and I don’t know whether they are in the clan or in the hands of my grandfather.
If it was in my grandfather’s hands, then my grandmother should have handed it all over to my mother, Mrs. Dong, before she went to the Royal Qingan to practice asceticism.
If the house deeds and land deeds are there, then it’s easy to deal with. If they are gone… we have to find another way.
Although Bai Jinxiu was already married, she still cared about the affairs of the Bai family. She waited for Bai Qingyan to change his clothes, and when she followed Bai Qingyan to Dong’s place, Manager Liu had not left yet.
Mrs. Dong was so angry that her face turned blue and the handkerchief in her hand was deformed. If she had not been well-mannered, she would have cursed.
When Manager Liu saw Bai Qingyan and Bai Jinxiu come in and pay their respects to Mrs. Dong, he stood up quickly, his eyes reddening: “Young Miss! You are finally back safely from Southern Xinjiang!”
When Manager Liu was still in Shuoyang, he was always worried whenever he heard about the battle situation in southern Xinjiang. Later, he heard that the eldest girl had killed more than 100,000 surrendered prisoners from Xiliang in southern Xinjiang and that southern Xinjiang had won a great victory. He was really happy and worried. He burned two incense sticks to the King and the Duke of Zhenguo, begging the King Bai Weiting and the Duke Bai Qishan to bless the eldest girl’s safety, and he even cried.
Now seeing Bai Qingyan appear in front of him unharmed, how could Manager Liu not be excited.
“I’m sorry to have made Uncle Liu worried!” Bai Qingyan said to Manager Liu with a smile, “Uncle Liu, please sit down. Jinxiu and I have heard some things about the Shuoyang ancestral home from Nanny Tong. Please tell me the details, Uncle Liu.”
Manager Liu told Bai Qingyan about Shuoyang’s affairs in detail. It was basically the same as what Nanny Tong said, with a few more details improved.
For example, the old steward who looked after the Bai family’s ancestral home had been bribed by the Fifth Master. Even the renovation drawings were previously provided by the Fifth Master of the clan, just to get the Bai family to spend money… so that they could live more comfortably.
When Manager Liu went back this time, the Fifth Master took out the blueprint of the mansion and with a stroke of his pen, divided the house into two. They occupied more than half and left the smaller half for the Bai family. He said that their family had lived in the ancestral home for many years and had used those courtyards. Moreover, the Bai family now had orphans and widows, so the front courtyard was reserved for the men’s family use and would not be given to the Bai family.
They showed an attitude of giving alms to the orphans and widows of the Bai family, and regarded the house passed down from the Bai family’s ancestors as if it were theirs.
Later, the sixth master of the clan found out and wanted to have a piece of the pie too. He was unwilling to let the fifth master take it all, so the two brothers started fighting.
After this beating, everyone in the clan knew about it. Some thought it was unfair, some intended to get a piece of the pie, and some even wanted Dong to adopt their own descendants. They shouted that the Fifth Master was going too far. Although all the descendants of the Bai family had died, as long as Dong picked someone from the clan to adopt, the direct branch would have incense. They said that the Fifth Master was too greedy.
In short, it’s a mess!
Upon seeing this, Manager Liu first sent people to stop the craftsmen who were about to build the wall, but then he realized that the clan was in a turmoil and nothing would happen for a while, so he came back in person to report the news.
“Mother, are the title deeds and house deeds of our ancestral home here with you?” Bai Qingyan asked.
Mrs. Dong shook her head, frowning, “If the title deed and house deed of our ancestral home were in our house, the clan members wouldn’t dare to be so arrogant! We only have the title deed in our house, and the house deed is with the clan members.”
Originally, the position of clan leader should be held by the second son of the legitimate branch, so the Bai family’s house deeds have always been within the clan. Later, in the war, all the legitimate sons of Bai Qingyan’s great-grandfather’s generation died in the battle, so the illegitimate son was recorded as the legitimate son and took the position of clan leader under the name of Bai Qingyan’s great-grandmother.
Logically speaking, by the time of Bai Qingyan’s grandfather Bai Weiting, his grandfather’s younger brother should have been the clan leader, but his grandfather didn’t have a younger brother…
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